mpal6
Norm Smith Medallist
I could watch this stuff all day
This "lengthening" of the field is crucial... You need your deepest forward to be as far forward as possible without his opponent thinking he can zone off against him. This can be a bit of cat and mouse to determine where this point actually is, and can also vary based on the game situation. For example, given Carlton were losing, late in the game Weitering would have positioned himself far higher up the ground, closer to the contest, trying to force an intercept further up the ground.
But all else being equal, lengthening the ground gives all your other players forward of the ball (high half forwards etc) way more room to lead into. You still have to time your leads properly... We routinely time ours all wrong, if we even come back to the kicker at all. Often we just keep charging back towards goal And then when we do come back to the kicker, we usually go way too early, whereas in this clip they are perfectly timed and there is that much space you can't possibly miss them.
But often we don't even do that. Too often it looks like our thought process is "why would I want to run down to the goal square while the ball is on the wing? He can't kick it 90 metres". This is where we need to realise it's not about ME getting the ball, it's about creating space for others.
Unfortunately we seem to have players in our forward line for whom playing selflessly is not the first thought, if it's thought of at all. And THEN, if all else fails, you can still lead back towards the ball carrier, which makes you a much easier target to hit than when you're running back with the flight.
And of course, to get that much space in the first place between the ball carrier and the receiver it certainly helps if you're able to move the ball quickly and accurately, as Geelong did yesterday.
Sorry this post was meant to be a celebration of Geelong's play from yesterday but the more of it I watched the more I saw things they do that we don't, and it frustrates the heck out of me.
Running and spreading is not in our current playing style, everyone tries to intercept and then trundles along until it reaches the back half where some close checking poor defender is battling away / gasping for air, trying desperately to stop his direct forward from marking the ball.